ION INDIE MAGAZINE April 2015, Volume 11 | Page 89

their hallowed halls. I begged him to teach me Yngwie's Neo-Classical scales and alternate picking, which
he indeed did.
My favorite picking exercise--and foundation of my guitar style was taught to me 30 years ago--and still
works onstage every show. Begin at the first fret with your index finger on the low E, middle finger on the
second fret, ring finger on the third fret, and pinky on the fourth fret, low E. Begin a slow, methodical up and
down picking motion on each individual string, one fret at a time—index…middle…ring…pinky. Slowly
increase the speed and intensity of your alternate picking motion, dropping to the A string, first fret, same
four finger pattern, up, down, up, down, etc. drop down to D, G, B and high E the same way. Repeat this
pattern up to the 12th fret on every string, then reverse--starting with your pinky first. Alternate pick all the
way back down to the first fret again, with a super-fast, Flamenco Spanish guitar type of passion and
intensity. Practice daily as much as you can, and in a few months the technique will flow seamlessly. See
you next month!
***
"Music is all I've ever known", states
FAIRLAWN SCHOOL OF MUSIC vocal teacher
and seasoned live performer and composer
NATALIE GRACE MARTIN. Beginning in
childhood with musical parents who still
perform live, Martin studied at THE UNIVERSITY
OF AKRON and MUSICIAN’S INSTITUTE. She is
now actively returning to gigging out after a
year and a half hiatus, and plans to re master
and release her debut albums, "Such A
Beautiful Mess" and "UltraHeavy", on which
she played every instrument.
Coming out in gender transition two years ago,
Martin discussed her desire to inspire all
performers to be themselves. "Gender doesn't
matter...they need to know there are people
like them that are happy, smart and
respected".
To explore Natalie’s music, please visit her
sites at:
https://soundcloud.com/nataliegracemartin
https://twitter.com/ngracemartin
Photo credit: Zak Barron